Buick is one of America's oldest brands and is owned by General Motors. The company was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick, a Scottish industrialist, who built his first car, the Model B, in 1904. The Model B had a two-cylinder engine with an overhead-valve cylinder head design. The Model D made its debut in 1907 as Buick's first four-cylinder production car. In 1908, William C. Durant bought the Flint, Michigan-based Buick Motor Company, as part of a new company called General Motors. By 1914, all Buick cars featured six-cylinder engines and were the favorite of well-established customers. With a rich tradition of innovation, Buick was the first to introduce four-wheel brakes in the 1920s. In the '30s, Buick cars used eight-cylinder advanced engines and rear-turn signals with a flasher, which soon became popular. Models such as the Estate Wagon, Roadmaster and Dynaflow kept customers happy across America in the 1940s.

In 1950s and 1960s, Buick's pioneering efforts translated into vehicles with power brakes and steering, 12-volt electrical systems and the first American V6 engine on a car. By 1970s and 1980s, Buick had to downsize its line-up with a series of smaller and full-size luxury sedans. Soon, compacts and midsize sedans began to rank as popular models. Today, with increasing competition and younger generations of buyers, Buick's lineup treads a fine line between catering to niche buyers and maintaining its rich traditions with the Enclave, La Crosse and Lucerne.

2008 Buick Enclave
The 2008 Buick Enclave ($32,770-$37,040) is a large crossover SUV, which comes in CX and CXL trim levels. Both trims seat seven, but an optional second-row bench seat, increases the capacity to eight. Front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive is available. The Enclave is equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 rated for 275 hp and 251 lb-feet of torque, with a six-speed automatic transmission. When properly equipped, the crossover SUV can tow up to 4,500 pounds.

2008 Buick LaCrosse
The 2008 Buick LaCrosse ($21,830-$31,855) is a midsize family sedan available in four trim levels - CX, CXL, CXS and Super. The sedan offers seating for five, but an available front bench seat makes room for six in the CX and CXL. The CX and CXL are powered by a 3.8-liter V6 that makes 200 hp and 230 lb-feet of torque, while the CXS is equipped with a 3.6-liter DOHC V6 rated for 240 hp and 225 lb-ft of torque. The new LaCrosse Super, gets a 5.3-liter V8 pumping out 300 horses and 323 lb-ft of torque.

2008 Buick Lucerne
The 2008 Buick Lucerne ($0-$36,510) is a large sedan available in four trim levels - CX, CXL, CXS and Super, with generous levels of standard equipment. The Buick Lucerne CX and CXL are equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 that rates at 197 hp and 227 lb-feet of torque. The CXS gets a 4.6-liter V8 rated at 275 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque, while the Super gets the same V8 engine, tuned to make 292 hp and 288 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are teamed with a four-speed automatic transmission.